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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stock — shares
  3. mug — a face
  4. plane — a tool
  5. content — the amount
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. content — happy
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. capital — a city
  10. toast — bread
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mug — to rob
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stock — goods
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mug — a cup
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com